206: How Maintenance Leaders and Frontline Workers Can Drive Digital Transformation with Nick Haase, Co-Founder of MaintainX

Manufacturing Happy Hour

Fresh off the heels of IMTS in Chicago, the largest manufacturing show in North America, host Chris Luecke invites Nick Haase, Co-Founder of MaintainX, onto the show to discuss how maintenance leaders and frontline workers can drive digital transformation.

Nick gives us a run-down on his background and how his experiences have contributed to creating an intuitive CMMS and EAM platform. The conversation explores how digitizing maintenance departments can not only facilitate broader digital transformation but also capture invaluable tribal knowledge from an aging workforce. This knowledge transfer is essential as companies prepare the next generation of workers to embrace high-tech solutions.

Nick and Chris also explore the role of AI in enhancing operational efficiency, emphasizing how executives and frontline leaders must collaborate to harness its potential, from making manufacturing more appealing to the younger generation to leveraging data for smarter decisions.

In this episode, find out:

• Meet Nick Haase: Co-Founder of MaintainX
• Why frontline workers are the key link between high-tech equipment and peak operational efficiency
• Nick provides a detailed look at his ‘non-typical’ career journey and how he built MaintainX
• How moving from pen and paper onto digital platforms tie into a digital transformation
• Why you’re only as good as your best plant manager if you don’t invest in data
• How AI is helping make sure the transition to the next work generation is as seamless as possible
• What causes Nick to think differently than other people in the manufacturing industry
• Who's ready for AI in the manufacturing world in this day and age

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Tweetable Quotes:

• “AI in manufacturing isn't a magic solution—it's a powerful tool that requires high-quality, company-specific data to drive real efficiency gains and smooth workforce transitions.”
• “You've got this great installation of this incredible software process, but if you aren't considering how that final frontline worker is going to receive that input and deliver data input back into the system, then you're missing the point.”
• "I was surprised to learn that even at a Fortune 50 manufacturing company, many were still primarily following analog processes on the plant floor."

Links & mentions:

• MaintainX, CMMS and EAM software that prevents downtime, reduces maintenance costs, and delivers the #1 technician experience

Make sure to visit http://manufacturinghappyhour.com for detailed show notes and a full list of resources mentioned in this episode. Stay Innovative, Stay Thirsty.